Only Her Smokejumper Firefighter - Cami Checketts Page 0,14

seemed to be ready for. If he hadn’t stopped her, what would’ve happened? Was she regularly intimate with men? The thought made his stomach turn. He tried not to judge another’s lifestyle, but he’d always imagined his future wife would share his values and his faith. Thinking of Mavyn in the arms of another man made him want to grab his Pulaski and hack his way through a burning forest.

But Mavyn … she was the one. Simply being around her again confirmed it. He knelt and prayed fiercely for strength, insight, and the ability to see clearly. Could he and Mavyn be together? He wanted that more than was reasonable. The good Lord had put her in his path yet again. He had to believe it was for a reason. Now if he could stay in control until they talked through things, then he could talk her into a short engagement and a long honeymoon.

Those thoughts pushed away all the worries and awful images of her with someone else. They also gave him the strength not to burst into her room again tonight.

He fell asleep with a smile on his lips and peace in his heart.

Chapter Three

Mavyn couldn’t sleep. Her humiliation made her feel sick and feverish. She’d tried to undress Ren and he’d run away from her like she was a she-devil. She was a she-devil, but even though she knew that, she was still surprised and disgusted with herself.

The instant she was in Ren’s arms, all rational thought had disappeared. She’d forgotten all the reasons she couldn’t be with him and had fallen for him all over again. She hadn’t been intimate with a man since she was eighteen and Bruce had repeatedly talked her into it, night after night after night. She hadn’t repented. Pastor Johnston had tried to help her overcome for months before she started lying to him. When she became pregnant and then lost the baby, her pastor had finally washed his hands of her. He explained that she’d mocked the Savior’s grace for too long. She could never be clean again and the Lord taking her baby had confirmed that.

After she lost her baby she gave up on a higher power caring and didn’t let herself care for any man, or fall for any man’s charms. She only occasionally gave men she dated a quick kiss goodnight. Over ten years of staying in control of her passionate side, and honestly it hadn’t been that hard … until Ren.

Why did she have to lose all control with the one man she respected and wished she could be with? Ren had to hate her for her treatment of him four months ago. Obviously he despised her. His cold words as they danced, saying that the beautiful, sweet Cora was nothing like Mavyn, confirmed that. Now he probably loathed her even more for acting like a desperate woman and trying to undress him and lure him into bed. Shame rushed over her.

She had to get out of Mystical Lake as soon as possible.

She made plans to slip out early in the morning. She’d caught up on her writing when she arrived at Grams’s house earlier this evening. She’d already sent off an article about the gorgeous Mystical Lake and the impressive Chadwick family. She didn’t need to stay here for any reason. Any reason except Ren. But no, that wasn’t her path. If anyone in heaven cared about her at all, she would escape without running into Ren or Grams.

The plan to flee helped her settle and finally fall asleep.

Bright light streaming through the windows alerted her that she’d overslept. Shoot! She leaped out of bed. There was a duffel bag sitting just inside the bedroom door. Ren’s?

She grabbed the warmest clothes she had, which wasn’t saying much. She’d packed to be in Puerto Vallarta but had gotten rained out. Instead, she’d flown to Mystical Lake to be with Cora. She found her toiletries and cracked open the bathroom door. No sign of Ren. Locking the other entrances to the large bathroom, she quickly took a shower, dressed in a fitted t-shirt and running pants, spruced up her curls, and put on minimal makeup.

She hurried back into the bedroom and packed her bag, slid into socks and running shoes, and found a sweatshirt buried in her bag, which she gratefully slipped on. She hefted her heavy suitcase so Grams or Ren wouldn’t hear it thumping along the loft or down the stairs. Maybe they were both